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North Norfolk’s £15m NHS cuts to hit social care

March 14, 2015

North Norfolk is facing substantial cuts in local healthcare in the coming year, reportedly amounting to £83 for every resident or £15 million in total. These cuts will particularly hit the growing number of frail older people who rely on local health services, warns North Norfolk Labour Party.

Cuts proposed by the North Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) include:

– almost £900k in continuing healthcare meaning more frail older people will have to pay for their care
– reductions in drugs and prescribing by GPs
– cuts in community equipment and support for people who have fallen
– reductions in referrals to hospitals as well as cuts in funding for local hospitals and mental health services
– supporting more older people at home rather than hospital will be hit by cuts to community services and the Better Care Fund

The CCG itself warns in its budget report for 2015-16 that there is no room for slippage, none of its main contracts have been settled and there are big risks that the £15 million cuts won’t be delivered – thereby threatening further cuts later this year.

NHS campaigners believe these cuts contradict the message from government that the NHS is not being cut, and are also concerned the drive for savings will also increase the privatisation of our local NHS.

The budget is due to be discussed at the CCG’s governing body meeting on Tuesday 17 March in Aylsham, and members of the public are invited to attend.

Denise Burke, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for North Norfolk, said: “The £15m cuts show how much pressure our health service is under in North Norfolk. We already have poor ambulance response times, long waits at A&E, failing mental health services and poor access to GPs. Now the Clinical Commissioning Group has to make more cuts while dealing with an ageing population. Older people and their families will bear the brunt of these cuts. And there are huge risks that the CCG will be unable to make the cuts required by government, meaning more cuts in North Norfolk will be needed. The CCG should listen to the public and tell government ministers, particularly care minister, Norman Lamb to live up to their promises not to cut the NHS.”